Say goodbye to 40w and 60w incandescent lightbulbs. Starting January 1,2014, businesses will no longer be permitted to import or produce these popular lighting options due to the US federal government’s efforts to improve energy efficiency. The ban on 40w and 60w bulbs follows a prohibition on 100w incandescent bulbs in 2012, and 75w bulbs this year.
The phase-out of 40w and 60w incandescent bulbs comes as a result of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 (pdf), which outlines energy efficiency standards for a range of consumer products, from walk-in freezers to battery chargers.
EISA does not ban all 40w and 60w lightbulbs. Instead, it requires these bulbs (as well as 100w and 75w bulbs) to use 25 percent less energy. Lightbulbs will need to use 65 percent less energy by 2020. This means more energy-efficient alternatives in those wattages will still be available. These include halogen incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
The elimination of 40w and 60w bulbs may come as a shock to some US customers, as these options are the most popular among American buyers. According to a recent telephone survey of 300 people by Sylvania (pdf), 64 percent of Americans know about the EISA phase-out of incandescent bulbs, but only 41 percent knew availability of the 40w and 60w variety would evaporate in 2014.
If, for some reason, you want to use less efficient incandescent bulbs, you’d better act fast; according to USA Today, Home Depot expects to sell out of them by the middle of 2014. But if you ask us, that’s not a problem – there are far more awesome lighting options available.
[Image via Chones/Shutterstock]
Few things ruin a quiet evening faster than a robot vacuum roaring through the living room. Most of us end up pausing the cleaning run, which defeats the whole purpose of owning one. Matic thinks it has the answer with its new Serene robot vacuum, and the big selling point is how little noise it makes.
The Matic Serene runs at 52 decibels even when cleaning at full power. To put that in perspective, Matic compares it to the hum of your refrigerator. It is available now for $1,695, which is $200 more than the original Matic’s current price.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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